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Metro Transit Needs Your Vote!

With Olympia unable to find a transportation funding solution to preserve King County Metro service, local action appears to be the only avenue remaining and it’s one the Downtown Seattle Association is actively supporting.

King County Executive Dow Constantine has outlined an April 22nd ballot measure aimed at local funding for critical Metro service and local road improvements. The DSA and partner organizations have signed a letter of support for the countywide ballot measure, to be sent to the King County Council.

This proposed measure would generate approximately $130 million per year, derrived from from two sources:

A $60 annual vehicle tab fee.

A 0.1% increase in sales tax, expiring after 10 years.

The proposal would raise enough money to sustain Metro’s current level of service and address some maintenance needs for city streets and King County roads. Sixty percent of the funds, or about $80 million in 2015, would go to Metro for service and buses. The remaining 40 percent would support road projects.

“The transit reductions staring down Metro will place an estimated additional 30,000 cars on our roadways and also put our state at a competitive disadvantage,” said DSA President & CEO Kate Joncas. “One in five jobs in King County is in Downtown Seattle, and more people get to those jobs on transit than by any other means. The numbers are clear: reliable transit and well-maintained roads are critical to Downtown Seattle – and the region’s – economic vitality. We need our employees to have access to effective transit and a reliable transportation network.”

Ballots for this April 22 Special Election will soon be in-home and King County Metro needs your support. Vote “yes” on Proposition 1 and help keep our transportation system, and our economy, moving forward.